Written Answers Thursday 29 July 2010

Scottish Executive

Justice

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hoax calls were made to Lothian and Borders (a) Police and (b) Fire and Rescue Service and at what total cost, in each of the last five years.

Kenny MacAskill: The latest figures for the number of malicious false alarms to Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service and the number of hoax calls made to the Lothian and Borders Police are shown in the following tables:

  Table 1. Fire and Rescue Services

  

Year
Malicious False Alarms


2007
1,001


2006
 897


2005
1,110


2004
1,136


2003
1,264



  Source: Fire Statistics Scotland 2007.

  Table 2. Police

  

 
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09


False calls to the emergency services and bomb hoaxes 
84
77
70
-
-


*Hoax calls to the emergency services
-
-
-
26
52


*Hoax bomb calls
-
-
-
16
13


Total
84
77
70
42
65



  Source: Scottish Government police recorded crime statistics.

  Notes:*Prior to 2007-08 these two categories were collected under the heading "false calls to the emergency services and bomb hoaxes".

Justice

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many drivers have been breathalysed and, of those, how many were found to be over the legal drink-drive limit in each year since 1997, also expressed as a proportion of total tests undertaken and broken down by local authority area.

Kenny MacAskill: Data on the number of drivers who have been breathalysed, and the number of those who were found to be over the legal drink-drive limit is not available centrally.

  The information provided by the police refers to the number of cases recorded where an individual is in charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs, or has failed to provide a specimen for testing. Because there are several different preliminary tests (preliminary breath test, preliminary impairment test, and preliminary drug test), and the police officer involved may administer any one or more of these, the number of such incidents does not relate directly to the number of times that a breathalyser test has been carried out. Furthermore, the data is collected at an aggregate level, so details of individual crimes, such as the occupation of the individual, are not available.

  The following tables provide the number of crimes and offences, relating to motor vehicles, involving driving, and drink or drugs1, by local authority area for 1997-98 to 2008-09:

  (i) 1997-98 to 2002-03

  

 
1997-98
1998-99
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03


Aberdeen City
485
472
395
390
431
474


Aberdeenshire
373
372
374
352
334
400


Angus
194
173
165
134
234
193


Argyll and Bute
217
158
171
193
212
233


Clackmannanshire
71
70
63
70
52
80


Dumfries and Galloway
238
251
184
207
227
204


Dundee City
305
281
306
295
367
364


East Ayrshire
150
143
166
154
164
175


East Dunbartonshire
102
123
107
104
98
124


East Lothian
107
104
100
82
95
98


East Renfrewshire
66
96
92
66
83
76


Edinburgh, City of
833
822
813
756
768
712


Eilean Siar 
113
56
65
57
74
57


Falkirk
236
198
237
217
270
252


Fife
510
450
488
520
613
717


Glasgow City
1,283
1,229
1,215
1,216
1,274
1,283


Highland
489
537
518
460
593
539


Inverclyde
111
111
113
116
150
127


Midlothian
168
151
127
121
137
163


Moray
165
184
149
158
216
204


North Ayrshire
219
211
193
181
191
219


North Lanarkshire
558
517
506
564
568
554


Orkney Islands
42
32
31
31
28
35


Perth and Kinross
266
225
249
241
237
273


Renfrewshire
302
292
278
281
303
309


Scottish Borders
144
134
143
152
176
183


Shetland Islands
67
45
44
52
38
64


South Ayrshire
150
168
209
206
174
212


South Lanarkshire
428
352
442
401
453
435


Stirling
180
191
157
180
200
229


West Dunbartonshire
181
185
178
152
157
162


West Lothian
279
324
308
327
367
314


Scotland
9,032
8,657
8,586
8,436
9,284
9,464



  (ii) 2003-04 to 2008-09

  

 
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09


Aberdeen City
503
494
443
427
409
407


Aberdeenshire
410
403
424
417
421
407


Angus
233
224
250
229
200
197


Argyll and Bute
233
231
222
229
180
192


Clackmannanshire
64
78
76
98
76
69


Dumfries and Galloway
222
172
224
262
246
223


Dundee City
391
330
321
305
247
233


East Ayrshire
191
182
195
181
192
159


East Dunbartonshire
123
95
105
125
111
107


East Lothian
118
106
135
137
156
133


East Renfrewshire
91
92
85
64
75
75


Edinburgh, City of
604
681
735
676
597
552


Eilean Siar 
77
77
100
81
82
54


Falkirk
244
262
211
239
236
224


Fife
675
545
639
692
633
570


Glasgow City
1,302
1,146
1,214
1,195
1,107
983


Highland
607
535
556
555
538
515


Inverclyde
139
117
93
111
96
110


Midlothian
157
127
110
149
131
125


Moray
202
203
171
156
140
136


North Ayrshire
212
233
217
198
207
213


North Lanarkshire
542
486
480
529
486
476


Orkney Islands
35
40
32
49
36
28


Perth and Kinross
263
250
253
262
251
226


Renfrewshire
252
222
230
298
291
261


Scottish Borders
185
173
179
174
154
151


Shetland Islands
62
62
45
59
39
45


South Ayrshire
176
206
179
222
187
148


South Lanarkshire
438
465
423
480
424
404


Stirling
168
147
150
188
149
141


West Dunbartonshire
133
157
158
197
201
137


West Lothian
276
260
287
295
278
275


Scotland
9,328
8,801
8,942
9,279
8,576
7,976



  Note:

  1. Comprises the following crimes/ offences:

  - Death by careless driving when under influence of drink/drugs.

  - Driving a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs.

  - In charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink/drugs.

  - Driving a motor vehicle with blood alcohol content above the prescribed limit.

  - In charge of a motor vehicle while blood alcohol content is above the limit.

  An additional table which includes the number of offences of failing to provide a breath specimen has also been prepared and a copy of this table will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 51378).

Justice

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many bus or coach drivers have been breathalysed and, of those, how many were found to be over the legal drink-drive limit in each year since 1997, also expressed as a proportion of total tests undertaken and broken down by local authority area.

Kenny MacAskill: Data on the number of bus or coach drivers who have been breathalysed, and the number of those who were found to be over the legal drink-drive limit is not available centrally.

  The information provided by the police refers to the number of cases recorded where an individual is in charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs, or has failed to provide a specimen for testing. Because there are several different preliminary tests (preliminary breath test, preliminary impairment test, and preliminary drug test), and the police officer involved may administer any one or more of these, the number of such incidents does not relate directly to the number of times that a breathalyser test has been carried out. Furthermore, the data is collected at an aggregate level, so details of individual crimes, such as the occupation of the individual, are not available.

  I also refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35201 on 29 July 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Justice

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many members of each emergency service have been breathalysed and, of those, how many were found to be over the legal drink-drive limit in each year since 1997, also expressed as a proportion of total tests undertaken.

Kenny MacAskill: Data on the number of members of emergency services who have been breathalysed, and the number of those who were found to be over the legal drink-drive limit is not available centrally.

  The information provided by the police refers to the number of cases recorded where an individual is in charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs, or has failed to provide a specimen for testing. Because there are several different preliminary tests (preliminary breath test, preliminary impairment test, and preliminary drug test), and the police officer involved may administer any one or more of these, the number of such incidents does not relate directly to the number of times that a breathalyser test has been carried out. Furthermore, the data is collected at an aggregate level, so details of individual crimes, such as the occupation of the individual, are not available.

  I also refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35201 on 29 July 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Prison Service

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) work and (b) education opportunities are available to offenders in prison on remand, broken down by prison.

Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  (a) The work opportunities for remand prisoners are as follows:

  
HMP Aberdeen: Charity clothing work party.
HMP Addiewell: No work provision.
HMP Barlinnie: Internal Services jobs.
HMP & YOI Cornton Vale: Internal Services jobs.
HMP Dumfries: No work provision.
HMP Edinburgh: Laundry, Labels, General Purpose work party, Hobbies.
HMP Greenock: No work provision.
HMP Inverness: Internal Services jobs.
HMP Kilmarnock: Recycling, Textiles, Painting.
HMP Perth: Internal Services jobs.
HMYOI Polmont: Internal Services jobs.
Internal Services jobs cover general assistance in a particular area of the prison, including cleaning.


  (b) The Education opportunities for remand prisoners are as follows:

  
HMP Aberdeen: English, Numeracy, Computing, Art for leisure.
HMP Addiewell: Healthwise, Media Studies, Art Enterprise, Brain Training, Art Project.
HMP Barlinnie: English for Speakers of Other Languages.
HMP & YOI Cornton Vale: Remand prisoners have access to Peer Tutoring for literacy. Young remand prisoners also have access to Art, Cookery and Card-making classes. Further work is being progressed to expand the range of educational opportunities available to all Remand prisoners.
HMP Dumfries: Literacy, Numeracy, Information Communication Technology, Art.
HMP Edinburgh: Computing, Maths, English.
HMP Greenock: Literacy, Numeracy, Computing, Communications, Art.
HMP Inverness: Communications, Literacy, Information Communication Technology, English for Speakers of Other Languages.
HMP Kilmarnock: Literacy, Numeracy, English, Maths, Creative Writing, IT, Art, Music.
HMP Perth: Maths, English, Information Communication technology, Art, Small Group Work (literacy), Adult Numeracy Group, English for Speakers of Other Language, Teaching Kitchen, History, Guitar, Book Keeping, Drama, Languages, Adv. Learning, Peer Tutor Training, Job Club.


  HMYOI Polmont: For the remand prisoners with high educational needs, classes on literacy and numeracy are available. 16 to 17-year-old remands attend with their convicted peers, with classes on ICT, communications, literacy, numeracy, English, creative writing, poetry and citizenship available.

  The following establishments do not hold remand prisoners: HMP Glenochil, Open Estate, HMP Peterhead, HMP Shotts.

Teachers

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reduce the number of unemployed post-probation teachers

Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has taken a number of actions to help support post-probation teachers into work.

  We made the difficult decision to reduce the intake of student teachers which will reduce the competition for posts among newly qualified teachers.

  We created a scheme to allow local authorities to borrow up to £10 million to cover the upfront costs of early retirement and free up jobs for newly qualified teachers.

  We are continuing to work closely with COSLA and local authorities to achieve better reconciliation between local and national teacher workforce planning with a view to re-establishing an appropriate balance between teacher supply and demand.